Compare the Best Online Computer Science Degree Programs

The cost of your computer science degree depends on many factors. First and foremost being the tuition that your chosen school charges. Some schools charge as little as $6,500 in annual tuition, while others can soar upwards of $55,000 a year before books, room and board, and other expenses.

The length of your program (2 years? 4 years? 6 years?) is also a determining factor, as well as how often the school charges tuition and fees. Do you pay by the credit hour or by semester? Another consideration is financial aid. There are scholarships offered for just about anything you can think of, from your high school academics or ACT/SAT scores, to socioeconomic background, and more. Additionally, FAFSA can help you qualify for Pell Grants and other programs that can reduce your overall cost of education.

To truly determine the cost of your computer science degree, you’ll need to evaluate your particular situation, taking your needs and goals into account. When you’ve found the right school for you, multiply the total of your tuition, fees, book costs, and living expenses by the number of terms it will take you to obtain a degree, and then subtract how much financial aid and scholarships can cover. The total you are left with will put you in the ballpark of the true overall cost of your education. If necessary, your college’s academic advisor should be able to help you run these numbers, as well as make additional considerations about your education.

Although the exact names and requirements of the courses will vary widely between institutions, Computer Science Majors can expect to take classes in topics such as:

• Programming Languages
• Calculus
• Algorithms
• Data Management
• Artificial Intelligence
• Computer Architecture
• Data Logic
• Computer Theory
• Device Utilization
• Network Fundamentals
• Operating Systems
• Statistics
• Electronic Design
• Files and Databases
• Design Physics

There are a wide variety of positions available to computer science professionals, and depending on your precise areas of study and experience, you might be able to qualify for them. Computer science majors can acquire positions as varied as:

• Software Developer
• Software Engineer
• Data Scientist
• Web Developer
• Software Tester
• Systems Analyst
• Product Manager
• Full-Stack Developer
• Database Administrator
• Front-End Developer
• Network Architect
• App Developer
• etc.

Other majors that are adjacent to computer science that students might also find interesting:

• Information Technology — Focuses on the use of computer theory to help solve a variety of business problems, encompassing data security, information management, and automation.
• Computer Programming — Focuses on the application of programming languages to produce programs and computerized processes.
• Software Engineering — A solid grounding in the production and use of software, as well as its application and integration with the engineering process, working in tandem with other hard sciences like physics, biology, and mechanical and electrical engineering.
• Cybersecurity — Focuses on security measures and protections used to keep digital systems safe from external and internal threats.
• Artificial Intelligence — Studies the methods and applications of creating programs and devices that can learn independently from a programmer or user’s explicit instructions, processing data, and producing outputs that might be unexpected from a human observer.
• Data Science — Studies the gathering, organization, and analysis of data sets with high complexity.
• Systems Analysis — Focuses on how computer systems are built, how they behave, and the ways in which they interact with each other.

In addition to extrinsic motivators like salary and career prospects, your personal interests and personality can often be good indicators of whether or not studying computer science is a worthwhile pursuit. Below are some reasons — both external and internal — why you may want to consider a career in computer science.

Degrees with High Demand

Computer science is a booming field and it’s only expected to keep growing for the foreseeable future. Because computers and devices that use them impact just about every facet of our modern lives, nearly every company needs talent with a computer science background. Students considering a computer science major can be well assured that their studies will give them an advantage in a job market where their skills are in demand.

Mix of Collaboration and Individual Work

Depending on your role, computer science careers can offer a nice mix of solitary work (spending time alone, chipping away at a program) and teamwork (reviewing code as a group and brainstorming clever solutions to problems). If you find that you like a little of both collaboration and self-driven work, computer science is a great field to consider, as both aspects of working life are present in these kinds of careers in varying amounts depending on the company and particular role.

Regardless of personal preference, a good programmer should do what they can to develop skill and experience in both working styles, allowing them not only to figure out which is more conducive to their personal workflow but also to ensure that they have the capacity to do either should the need arise.

Puzzles and Problem-Solving

As a field, computer science is particularly attractive to those who enjoy working on puzzles — any kind of problem-solving, logic-oriented activity. You should find it satisfying and stimulating to tease out creative solutions from complex problems.

Variety of Specialties

With computers used in just about every industry and with countless applications, the world of computer science is vast, and there is plenty of room for specialization. While there are industry standard coding languages, and certain things that stay the same regardless of where you are, many organizations still need people with rare talents and skill sets. That means that there are a surprising amount of niche markets hidden within the computer science landscape.

To take best advantage of this, make an effort to study particular industries that fascinate you, and gain a thorough understanding of the unique challenges those fields face, as well as how computer science is currently used — and how it might be used — to solve those challenges. Learn a variety of coding languages and probe their strengths and weaknesses for addressing certain kinds of problems. This knowledge will make you an invaluable asset to any organization that is seeking your specialties.

Well-Paying Careers

Jobs in the computer science realm are renowned for their above-average pay. For example, a software developer, one of the most common computer science roles, can expect to earn anywhere from $50,000 to $110,000 a year, with a median salary of about $73,000 a year.

However, it’s not advisable to simply join the computer science field just because the pay is attractive. Computer science is a complex area of study, and though you don’t necessarily need to be a genius to grasp the techniques and principles, it takes a particular type of mind to thrive and find consistent fulfillment from it. Many students have been convinced by the potential salary to start down the road to a computer science career, only to find that computer science doesn’t intrinsically satisfy them.

If you’re unsure of whether computers and coding are right for you, it’s possible to try some free online courses and independent study to get your bearings and see if you find the work engaging before you invest in a computer science degree program.